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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBatman: The Long Halloween, Part One<\/em> \u2013 The latest in DC\u2019s\nanimated, direct-to-disc superhero series follows Batman in his early years.\nWhile helping Commissioner Gordon take down the ruthless Falcone family, he begins\ninvestigating a series of slayings that occur on holidays. It becomes clear\nthat an unknown serial killer is ravaging Gotham and must be identified before anyone\nelse is harmed. This is the first half of a two-part story and reportedly the next\nand final chapter will be released on disc in a month. The film is premiering\non disc and reviews are only beginning to appear online. They have generally\nbeen positive thus far. Write-ups say that it is a solid adaptation of the\noriginal comic book story and stands as one of the better entries in DC\u2019s\nanimated universe. The voice cast includes Jensen Ackles, Josh Duhamel, Jack Quaid, Titus\nWelliver, Alyssa Diaz, Billy Burke and Naya\nRivera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hunter Hunter<\/em> \u2013 A family living in the remote\nwilderness discover that their traps are being ravaged by a wolf or some other\nanimal. The family patriarch decides to head out and hunt the creature down.\nWhile he is away, his daughter discovers a wounded man near their home. She\ntakes him in and treats him. However, as time passes family members become\nparanoid and ponder whether this mysterious figure may be a threat to their\nsafety. This independent horror flick was very well received. A small group\nfound the movie mean-spirited and had a difficult time identifying what it was\ntrying to say. However, almost everyone else was impressed by the performances\nand called it an engrossing, disturbing, slow-burn of a film that really gets\nunder the skin. It stars Camille Sullivan, Summer H. Howell, Devon Sawa and\nNick Stahl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Night of the Sicario<\/em> \u2013 A young Columbian girl in the\nwitness protection program prepares to testify against a powerful drug cartel. As\nthe trial approaches, she\u2019s taken in by the manager of an assisted living\nfacility. It isn\u2019t long afterwards that assassins arrive to murder the youth.\nNaturally, her protector must try to save her from the team of sicarios until\nassistance arrives. This \u201cinspirational\u201d independent production has nothing in\ncommon with the Benicio del Toro Sicario<\/em> films series. It premiered as a\nlimited release\/streaming title a few weeks ago and is now arriving on disc.\nThere aren\u2019t many write-ups available, but the ones that have appeared have\nbeen negative. They all describe it as a predictable and forgettable effort that\nfeatures less action than one would hope for and too much talk about religion\nand faith. The cast includes Natasha Henstridge, Costas Mandylor, Manny Perez\nand Addison Kendall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nobody<\/em> \u2013 This tale follows an average, put-upon man\nliving an uneventful and unexciting life. When his house is broken into, he\nfights back against the intruders, but his attempt at heroism creates a divide\nbetween himself and his family. His act of defiance also draws the attention of\na local mobster behind the crime, who targets the brood. Further estranged and\nfeeling unappreciated, the protagonist snaps. He uses untapped resources to\nviolently fight back against the mafia and those who have taken him for\ngranted. Reaction was very positive towards this action picture with a darkly\nhumorous tone. A tiny contingent called the movie too violent and thought it\nwas nihilistic in tone. Still, the overwhelming majority called it flashy,\nexciting, darkly humorous and past-paced with great performances from the entire\ncast. Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Aleksey\nSerebryakov, Christopher Lloyd and RZA headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Paper Tigers<\/em> \u2013Three kung-fu prodigies turned\nmiddle-aged men play the leads in this action comedy. Life hasn\u2019t turned out\nthe way they had planned and the friends find themselves struggling with family\nduties and dead-end jobs. When their old trainer is discovered dead, the trio\nvow to find out who is responsible and mete out justice\u2026 if they can just spare\nenough time and work it into their schedules. Critics really seemed to enjoy\nthis independent feature. There currently is only one negative review for it.\nThis one dismissal complains that the film could have done more with the\nconcept and the storytelling to engage viewers. Everyone else admitted that\nwhile the plotting was uncomplicated, the leads were charming and that the\nmovie delivered plenty of low-key laughs. It stars Alain Uy, Ron Yuan, Mykel\nShannon Jenkins and Jae Suh Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Siberia<\/em> \u2013 A damaged man searching for himself decides\nto visit an isolated cabin in the wintry wilderness. After taking a job running\na caf\u00e9, he still finds himself lacking an authentic feeling of peace. The man\nbegins an unusual dogsled journey that takes him into his own memories, dreams\nand imagination, with the intention of finding himself. The latest\ncollaboration between Abel Ferrara and Willem Dafoe (who have teamed on New\nRose Hotel<\/em>, Go Go Tales<\/em>, 4:44 Last Day on Earth<\/em>, Tommaso<\/em>\nand Pasolini<\/em>) split the press right down the middle. Half of them stated\nthat the movie was completely inaccessible and unrelatable to the average\nviewer. Yet the same number were impressed by the pair\u2019s willingness to explore\nuncharted territory and go down a different and trippy path with this\nnarrative. It also features Dounia Sichov and Simon McBurney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Unholy<\/em> \u2013 In this horror flick, a hearing-impaired\ngirl sees a vision of the Virgin Mary. She immediately regains her hearing and\nsuddenly has the ability to heal the sick. Naturally, the public begins to mob\nthe youngster, asking her to grant them miracles. In the meantime, a journalist\narrives to do a story of the youngster and investigate the claims. When strange\nand disturbing events follow, he begins to question who or what has really\nimbued the girl with powers. Reaction was not particularly good towards this\ngenre film. A small group thought it had some atmosphere and would entertain\nfans of scary movies. Sadly, the majority claimed the story was dull, the jump\nscares didn\u2019t jolt viewers and the visual effects were unconvincing. The cast\nincludes Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Cricket Brown, William Sadler, Katie\nAselton and Cary Elwes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a great many older films getting high definition upgrades\nthis week. Arrow Video have Irezumi<\/em> (1966), a Japanese production about\na woman who is kidnapped and turned into a geisha. It isn\u2019t long before she\ndecides to use her newfound skills and abilities to manipulate visitors and\nsoon get revenge on those who have done her wrong. The Blu-ray includes an\nintroduction to the feature and commentary track by a Japanese film scholar, a\nvisual essay on the genre, as well as publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many horror fans are familiar with the bloody Italian murder\/mystery movies that are identified as giallo pictures. However, not as many are aware that there were also a series of crime movies during this period made in the mold of Dirty Harry<\/em> flicks – these tales were called poliziotteschi films. This week, Arrow is putting out a Blu-ray box set called Years of Lead: Five Classic Italian Crime Thrillers<\/em>. It contains some of the genre\u2019s more notable projects, including, No, the Case is Happily Resolved<\/em> (1973), Savage Three<\/em> (1975), Like Rabid Dogs<\/em> (1976), Colt 38 Special Squad<\/em> (1976) and Highway Racer<\/em> (1977). In addition to improved picture quality (the first film listed has been given a 2K upgrade), there are some enlightening extras. They include bonuses like a featurette on the genre, as well as interviews with some of the filmmakers, cast and crew. You\u2019ll also get an alternate ending for No, the Case is Happily Resolved<\/em>, in addition to trailers, poster galleries and essays on these titles. If you\u2019d like to know more, check out this full review<\/a> of the set. <\/p>\n\n\n\n MVD Visual have plenty of fascinating titles as well. Adam\nResurrected<\/em> (2008) from writer\/director Paul Schrader (Affliction<\/em>, First\nReformed<\/em>) is a drama about Holocaust survivors struggling with the past and\nliving in an asylum. It stars Jeff Goldblum and Willem Dafoe and the movie is\nconsidered an underappreciated gem. The Blu-ray includes a director commentary,\nbehind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, a film festival Q & A and a\ntrailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Camino<\/em> (2015) is an action\/thriller about a group of\nmissionaries in the jungles of Columbia who accidentally witness a murder and find\nthemselves being hunted by drug dealers. This Blu-ray comes with plenty of\nbehind-the-scenes featurettes and publicity materials. The distributor also has\nthe bigfoot-themed horror picture Feed the Gods<\/em> (2014). A production\nfeaturette and trailer are included on this Blu-ray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shout! also have some new titles worth mentioning. Human\nNature<\/em> (2001) is a comedy from writer Charlie Kaufman (Being John\nMalkovich<\/em>, I\u2019m Thinking of Ending Things<\/em>) and director Michel Gondry\n(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind<\/em>) involving an extremely quirky\nlove triangle set around a lab. It stars Tim Robbins and Patricia Arquette. The\nBlu-ray arrives with a Gondry interview and other discussions with crew, as\nwell as a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The distributor has also been rereleasing Studio Ghibli\ntitles from Japan in special Blu-ray Steelbook packaging. This week, they are\nputting out The Secret World of Arrietty<\/em> (2010) and The Wind Rises<\/em>\n(2013). All features are the same as in previous released, but in new metallic\ncase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino are readying some comedies for the Blu-ray market as\nwell. One of them, CB4: The Movie<\/em> (1993), was supposed to have been\nreleased a few weeks ago, but a production slowdown caused a delay. The Chris\nRock comedy is arriving this week and comes with a film historian commentary,\nas well as interviews with the director and co-writer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n John Hughes completists will be pleased to see Career Opportunities<\/em> (1991) making its Blu-ray debut. It stars Jennifer Connelly and Frank Whaley and is about a young man who finds himself locked in a Target department store overnight, only to find the girl of his dreams hiding within. They end up discussing their personal problems and future as the night passes. It isn\u2019t nearly as good as other movies written by Hughes, but still has its share of fans. A commentary with a Chicago Critics Film Festival Producer is included on the disc, as well as a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stoner-comedy fans will also be happy about the Blu-ray\ndebut of Half Baked<\/em> (1998), starring Dave Chappelle and Jim Bruer. It\u2019s\nabout a group of friends who learn that one of their pals has been arrested for\nunintentionally causing the death of a NYC police horse. They begin selling\nstolen pot to raise money for his release. This disc comes with a director\ncommentary, ten deleted scenes, an alternate ending, humorous guides for\npot-smokers, as well as a trailer and other extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On an entirely different note, arthouse label Criterion are\nputting out The Signifyin\u2019 Works of Marlon Riggs<\/em>. This is a package\ncontaining seven documentaries and shorts made between 1981 and 2003. They all\nhave an experimental slant from the noted gay, black filmmaker and detail life\nfrom his perspective. The press release notes Tongues United<\/em> (1989) and Black\nIs\u2026 Black Ain\u2019t<\/em> (1994) as being landmark efforts from the director. All of\nthe titles included have been given new high-definition digital masters, a\nfeaturette which details the filmmaker\u2019s work, four new programs featuring\ntalks with crew members, the Rigg\u2019s thesis film, a 1996 documentary on the\nmoviemaker and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also have a Blu-ray of the documentary, Visions of\nEight<\/em> (1973). This effort contains a series of shorts on the Munich Olympic\nGames in 1972. While tragic events involving terrorists occurred during the\nevent, the filmmakers didn\u2019t have access and instead were focusing on the games\nthemselves. Directors Milo\u0161 Forman, Kon Ichikawa, Claude Lelouch, Juri Ozerov,\nArthur Penn, Michael Pfleghar, John Schlesinger and Mai Zetterling all present\ntheir takes on various sports featured. The release comes with a documentary on\nthe collection and background on how it was made, a film historian commentary, a\nshort promotional film and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Genre movie fans can pick up a Blu-ray of rare 1980s horror\nfilm, The Strangeness <\/em>(1985) courtesy of Code Red. It\u2019s a about a\nman-eating monster luring victims inside its cavernous home. The movie is noted\nfor its use of stop-motion animation techniques from the 50s when depicting the\ncreature. It has been remastered from its original 16mm vault elements and arrives\non Blu-ray with interviews and a commentary track featuring the director and\ncast. The disc also includes six short films from the group, a stills gallery\nand trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scorpion have managed to acquire the rights to Fool for Love<\/em> (1985) from director Robert Altman (MASH<\/em>, McCabe & Mrs. Miller<\/em>, The Player<\/em>, Gosford Park<\/em>). Pictured above and to the right, it\u2019s a steamy drama starring Kim Basinger and Sam Shepard about a woman\u2019s struggling to escape her old-flame. They also have the surfing flick, For Those Who Think Young<\/em> (1964). The story follows a bunch of kids trying to save their club hangout from being closed. James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Paul Lynde, Tina Louise, Nancy Sinatra and Bob Denver headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Horror fans will be thrilled about The Eurocrypt of\nChristopher Lee Collection<\/em> Blu-ray set from Severin. It contains six titles\nstarring the legendary actor. Specifically, Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly\nNecklace<\/em> (1962), Challenge the Devil<\/em> (1963), Castle of the Living\nDead<\/em> (1964), Crypt of the Vampire<\/em> (1964) and The Torture Chamber\nof Dr. Sadism<\/em> (1967), as well as Theater Macabre<\/em> (1971 – 1972) an\nanthology horror TV-series that Lee hosted. Everything has been given either a\n2K or 4K restoration and the set comes with multiple film historian commentary\ntracks and interviews with various participants, as well as plenty of promotional\nmaterials. Looks like a great set for genre fans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Severin also have some B-movie action pictures coming your way on Blu-ray with upgraded 2K transfers. Invaders of the Lost Gold<\/em> (1982) is about a group of treasure seekers looking for loot hidden by a Japanese platoon during the last days of WWII. Unfortunately, instead of riches, the team discover cannibals. As if that wasn’t enough, they end up succumbing to greed and turn on one another. Want to know more? Click this link! <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Strike Commando<\/em> (1986) is an Italian knock-off of the\nhit Rambo: First Blood Part II<\/em>. The story follows a one-man war machine\nas he fights Vietcong soldiers and merciless Russians in the jungle. This\neffort was written by Claudio Fragasso (Troll 2<\/em>), so expect some\nunintentional laughs. Strike Commando 2<\/em> (1988) finds the same cast and\ncrew heading abroad and taking on diamond and drug smugglers, as well as rogue\nCIA and Russian agents. All three of\nthese films have been given new 2K restorations. Both Strike Commando<\/em> flicks\ncontain the theatrical and extended cuts and there are numerous interviews with\ntalent behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Sounds like it could\nprovide some cheesy fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The low-budget genre picture Hanger<\/em> (2009) is also\narriving on Blu-ray as a 2-disc Collector\u2019s Edition through Unearthed Films.\nIt\u2019s a revenge\/exploitation picture about a fetus who survives an abortion and\nreturns as an adult to enact vengeance on those who attempted to terminate him.\nThe disc includes 16 hours of bonuses featuring commentary tracks, deleted\nscenes, outtakes, a making-of and other extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Warner Archive are delivering a couple more titles\nin their made-to-order Blu-ray line. Chain Lightning<\/em> (1950) is an\nadventure film with Humphrey Bogart about a test pilot who is suspicious that\nhis company\u2019s new fighter isn\u2019t up to snuff. Of course, the possibility of\ndying makes him uncomfortable about taking it into the air and finding out if\nhe\u2019s right. And if you\u2019re a fan of Elvis Presley and\/or musicals, you can also\npick up It Happened at the World\u2019s Fair<\/em> (1963) in high definition. In\nit, Presley heads to Seattle and visits the famous event, trying to earn some\nmoney playing poker to pay off his debts while he\u2019s there. Apparently, a very\nyoung Kurt Russell appears briefly as an angry child who kicks the musician in\nthe shins. Soundtrack songs include Relax, Take Me to the Fair and Cotton Candy\nLand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You Know, For Kids!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need something to entertain the kids, it looks like\nStudio Ghibli is the only way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Secret World of Arrietty<\/em> (2010) Steelbook<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And here are all the TV-themed releases coming your way!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Halifax: Retribution<\/em> (PBS) ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/DVD-hunter-hunter-leads-fixed.jpg\")
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\nBlasts from the Past!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/DVD-no-case-happily-resolved-poster.jpg\")
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Human: The World Within<\/em> (PBS)
Nature: The Leopard Legacy<\/em> (PBS)
The Umbrella Academy<\/em>: Season 1
When Calls the Heart Double-Feature<\/em>: What the Heart Wants<\/em> & Before My Very Eyes\ufeff<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n